Classic Eventing Nation

Watch the 2018 USEA Annual Meeting & Convention Live Stream

By on Dec 8, 2018 2:10 pm -

The view outside the Sheraton New Orleans. Photo courtesy of Marriott.com.

Can’t make it to the USEA Annual Meeting & Convention this weekend in New Orleans, Louisiana? You’re in luck! The USEA has teamed up with RNS Video Media to live stream a large portion of the convention.

You will need to renew your USEA Membership to access certain parts of the live stream, but much of it will be available to watch for free without a membership.

Scroll down to view the schedules for both the Open Stream and the Member Stream.

Click here to watch the Open Stream

Click here to login to your USEA account and watch the Member Stream

#USEAConvention: Website, Schedule, Live Stream, EN’s Coverage, EN’s Twitter, EN’s Instagram

OPEN STREAM SCHEDULE

Thursday, December 6

1-2 p.m. CST: Safety Concepts for Every Ride: Simulations for Reducing Cross-Country Rotational Falls with Dr. Suzanne Weaver Smith and Shannon Wood

5-6 p.m. CST: Intercollegiate Open Forum with Leslie Threlkeld

Friday, December 7

8-9 a.m. CST: Problem Solving: Reason, Response, Recommendation and Resolutions for Officials with Loris Henry, Cindy Deporter, Gretchen Butts and John Michael Durr

9-10 a.m. CST: Preceptor Training with Cindy Deporter, John Michael Durr, Loris Henry, Tim Murray, Wayne Quarles and Marilyn Payne

10-11 a.m. CST: Step-by-Step: How to Become an Official with John Michael Durr, Loris Henry, Wayne Quarles, Sally Ike, Alina Brazzil, Marilyn Payne and Tim Murray

11 a.m.-12 p.m. CST: Classic Three-Day Open Forum with Gretchen Butts

12-2 p.m. CST: USEA Year End Awards Lunch with Jim Wofford

2-3 p.m. CST: 2020 Eventing Calendar Planning with Debra Delacruz

3-4 p.m. CST: Organizers Open Forum with Jonathan Elliott

4-5 p.m. CST: Cross-Country Design for the Future with James Atkinson, John Michael Durr, Capt. Mark Phillips, Morgan Rowsell, Gretchen Butts and Cathy Wieschhoff

5-6 p.m. CST: Course Designers/Builders Open Forum with Derek di Grazia, Capt. Mark Phillips and Morgan Rowsell

6-7 p.m. CST: Eventing Affiliates Open Forum with Janet Gunn

Saturday, December 8

8-9 a.m. CST: Safety Committee Open Forum with Jon Holling, Sarah Broussard, Max Corcoran and Dr. Jennifer Miller

9-10 a.m. CST: American Horse Trials Foundation with Jodi Mort, Dave Emmons, Jim Graham and Cathy Wieschhoff

10-11 a.m. CST: USEF Eventing Sport Committee with Mike Huber

11 a.m.-12 p.m. CST: Rule Change Open Forum with Malcolm Hook

3:30-4:30 p.m. CST: SafeSport with Sonja Keating

4:30-5:30 p.m. CST: Young Riders Open Forum with Diane Snow and Vicki Howard-Fine

Sunday, December 9

9 a.m.-noon CST: USEA Board of Governors Meeting

MEMBER STREAM

Thursday, December 6

2-5 p.m. CST: USEA Board of Governors Meeting

Friday, December 7

8-9 a.m. CST: Tai Chi for Riders with Matt Brown

9-10 a.m. CST: Volunteer Committee Open Forum with Irene Doo

10-11 a.m. CST: The Science of Conditioning and Recovery with Max Corcoran

11 a.m.-noon CST: USEF High Performance Athletes Open Forum with Erik Duvander

2-3 p.m. CST: Membership Development Open Forum with Dawn Robbins, Janet Gunn and Liz Hoskinson

3-4 p.m. CST: Tik-Tac-TOLD with Tik Maynard

4-5 p.m. CST: YEH Through the Riders’ Eyes with Debbie Adams, Andrea Baxter, John Michael Durr, Doug Payne, Waylon Roberts, Tamie Smith and Dom Schramm

5-6 p.m. CST: First Aid, CPR and AED Skills Check with Rusty Lowe

Saturday, December 8

8-9 a.m. CST: Equestrian Fitness and Focus with Daniel Stewart

9-10 a.m. CST: ICP Open Forum with Mary D’arcy, Phyllis Dawson, Brian Sabo and Robin Walker

10-11:00 a.m. CST: How New Safety Technology is Going to Reduce Risk with Roy Burek

12-2 p.m. CST: Annual Meeting of Members with Erik Duvander

2:30-3:30 p.m. CST: World Equestrian Games Rider Review with Phillip Dutton, Will Coleman, Boyd Martin, Lynn Symansky and Sam Watson

3:30-4:30 p.m. CST: 1981: The Last Time a Rider of the Year was Female with Karen O’Connor, Jonathan Holling, Nina Gardner and Lynn Symansky

4:30-5:30 p.m. CST: Amateur & Adult Rider Open Forum with Dawn Robbins

5:30-9:30 p.m. CST: USEA’s Eventing Hall of Fame Gala

Sunday, December 9

8-9 a.m. CST: The Future of Data Science in Eventing with Sam Watson, Diarm Byrne and Robert Winter

9-10 a.m. CST: YEH Judges Training with Marilyn Payne

10-11 a.m. CST: Competition Level vs Required Skills, Part 2 with Dan Michaels

Wellington Eventing Showcase Will Not Run in 2019

By on Dec 8, 2018 10:27 am -

Boyd Martin and Welcome Shadow, winners of the 2017 Wellington Eventing Showcase. Photo by Jenni Autry.

Equestrian Sport Productions confirmed to EN that the Wellington Eventing Showcase will not run for a second consecutive year at Palm Beach International Equestrian Center in Wellington, Florida. Officials had hoped to hold the competition on Feb. 1-2, 2019.

“Due to our team’s commitment in managing and operating the (World Equestrian Games) earlier this year, we collectively agreed that we did not have ample enough time to suitably prepare for the Eventing Showcase in Wellington in 2019,” Michael Stone, president of Equestrian Sport Productions, said.

“We understand that it is a fantastic opportunity for the eventing discipline and are disappointed that we will not be hosting the event this year.”

First held in 2015, the Wellington Eventing Showcase is an unrecognized three-phase competition that offered one of the largest prize pots on the North American eventing circuit, with $100,000 awarded in 2017. Boyd Martin won the showcase all three years it ran, from 2015-2017.

Fans of the showcase format can still look forward to the $50,000 Aiken Eventing Showcase on March 1-2, 2019, at Bruce’s Field in Aiken, South Carolina. Invitations will be extended to the top 40 riders in the world. Click here for more details.

Saturday Links from Tipperary

By on Dec 8, 2018 12:01 am -

Ann and Jim Troppmann and greeted on stage by their children. Photo by Leslie Threlkeld.

In addition to recognizing many of the high achieving horses and riders in our country, the USEA Convention also shines the spotlight on the non-competing members who put so much love and effort into this crazy incredible sport.

Ann and Jim Troppmann were among the recipients of The Governor’s Cup which “honors those individuals who labor tirelessly behind the scenes at the many jobs associated with running the sport and whose services have contributed significantly to eventing” and in a very sweet moment at yesterday’s Year End Awards ceremony they were surprised by their children, who they didn’t know would be present to receive the award. Can I get a collective ‘Awww!’ please?

National Holiday: National Brownie Day

Your Saturday Links:

Jonty Evans and Art reunited as Jonty continues his rehabilitation after brain injury

2018 Year End Awards Ceremony Recognizes Member Achievements

The Fear We Live With

Tricks Of The Trade With Phillip Dutton’s Groom Emma Ford

Spotlight on Officials at the 2018 USEA Annual Meeting & Convention

Horse Blanketing FAQs

Saturday Video: 2018 FEI Solidarity award winner, Alex Hua Tian, is working to introduce children in China to the wonders of horsemanship and all of the life skills that horses can teach us:

FEI Solidarity | FEI Awards 2018

Giving back, giving confidence & showing just what our partnerships with horses have to teach us. The Horse Movement epitomises all of these areas as the 2018 FEI Solidarity award winner strives to introduce children in China to the wonder of horses working with Olympian Alex Hua Tian Eventing.

Posted by FEI Eventing on Tuesday, November 20, 2018

Photo Gallery: Eventers Celebrated at USEA Year End Awards Ceremony

By on Dec 7, 2018 6:05 pm -

Frankie Thieriot Stutes received, among many other year-end awards, the $50,000 Rebecca Broussard International Developing Rider Grant. Photo by Leslie Threlkeld.

The USEA Year End Awards ceremony at the Annual Meeting and Convention is always an emotional time when the eventing family comes together to celebrate the achievements of the past year and honor those who have contributed so much to the sport. This year was no exception.

One of the most notable moments was when USEA President Carol Kozlowski delivered a heartfelt speech as she described Mike Winter’s passion for eventing and his efforts in furthering the sport through governance. Tuning in via live stream, Mike was able to witness the standing ovation for his service to the sport, for which he was honored with the USEA President’s Lifetime Achievement Award.

EN congratulates all the winners for their accomplishments and applaud the eventing family as a whole for another amazing year. Click here to view a complete list of award winners. Click here to follow along with all of EN’s coverage of the 2018 USEA Annual Meeting and Convention.

Erik Duvander Outlines 2019 Strategic Plan for U.S. Eventing Team

By on Dec 7, 2018 5:02 pm -

Erik Duvander. Photo by Libby Law Photography.

Erik Duvander, USEF Performance Director for Eventing, unveiled his 2019 strategic plan for the USEF High Performance program today at the USEA Annual Meeting & Convention in New Orleans, Louisiana.

“Twelve months ago when I was standing here, I had no idea about so many different things in American eventing. The amount of people who are engaged in the sport — everyone has to work simultaneously to pursue the same common goal of being competitive on the world stage,” Erik said.

“The more we can work together on everything, keep the information and thoughts flowing, and keep an open door at all times, the better we can do our jobs. … My role is playing the long game. I think it’s about building a system that is going to last for a long time.”

Erik said the High Performance program’s mission is to create an environment where U.S. riders learn how to succeed at a championships. The program’s philosophy must be a “relentless pursuit of our mission. Every day is committed to creating a winning team.”

Achieving the mission will involve identifying talent at the Emerging, Developing and Elite levels of the High Performance program; targeting resources to achieve goals; and evaluating, maintaining and improving horse power.

Creating A Winning Team

After the U.S. failed to secure qualification for the 2020 Tokyo Olympics at this year’s World Equestrian Games, the team must now qualify at the 2019 Pan American Games in Lima, Peru. The team’s immediate goal for 2019 is to secure Olympic qualification at the Pan Ams.

“Some people think that’s a burden. I think it just gives us another opportunity to work together as a team and produce a top result on the day at a championships. I think it can be a good thing to develop our team for the Tokyo Olympics,” Erik said.

“If we had one more year with the team we took to the World Championships, it would have been a different story. … We have to be more focused on the future.”

With that in mind, Erik emphasized the importance of regularly reviewing targets and goals to ensure the resources allocated to the High Performance riders are delivering the expected outcomes. Horse and rider combinations who do not meet those targets will be removed from the program.

Erik said an increased focus will be placed on giving riders opportunities to experience the dynamics and pressure of riding in a team. The ultimate goal will be to develop riders “who are comfortable with riding to team instruction.”

Certain competitions throughout the 2019 season will be used as team simulations, with a training camp held several days before and riders and horses shipping to the venue together like they would at a true team competition. The idea will be for the riders to “go through the motions about what it means to be in a team,” allowing the riders to make mistakes in a practice environment and learning how to operate going forward.

Sending teams to Aachen CICO3* in Germany and Boekelo CCIO3* in the Netherlands will continue to be a priority in the 2019 season. “Aachen is a good test, and we need to know the riders can operate under that pressure,” Erik said. “Boekelo is another competition I believe has a great value to develop our riders in a team environment.”

Performance Advisory Group

A Performance Advisory Group consisting of a small, focused group of diverse experts and stakeholders in the U.S. eventing community will be created to advise, monitor, review and provide feedback on the High Performance program.

The Performance Advisory Group will also seek to bridge the gap between the Eventing 25 and Elite programs, recommend training lists and squads with input from talent-spotters, and recommend national and international funding.

Team selection must be administered as per the selection procedures for each specific competition, and consideration will be given to all qualified applications.

An ad hoc group of the USEF Eventing Sport Committee will also be developed to oversee the Performance Advisory Group activities.

Monitoring and Evaluation

Individualized Performance Plans (IPPs) will be created for all horses and riders in the High Performance program, with Erik continuously monitoring their progress in training and at competitions.

Erik also said it is critical to develop a new U.S. performance environment in which functioning as a team becomes part of each rider’s comfort zone. Having a smaller Elite group of listed riders will allow for that environmental shift, he said.

The next 12 months will be used to “determine guiding standards, values and expectations on behavior within the group.” Erik said he hopes to “drive a change in the environment to inspire athletes to work as a team to create a program that the athletes want to a part of at every level.”

Donors and Sponsors

Gloria Callen was announced as the new chair of the Event Owners Task Force (EOTF) this morning, and Erik said he is looking forward to working alongside the EOTF to bring new horse power into the High Performance program.

Erik said an emphasis will be placed on tracking the results of young horses and how they compare to current top horses in their development.

The High Performance program will also seek to identify riders who need more horses of a higher quality, and then guide the riders in their effort to produce horses for the long-term. Managing horses and keeping them sound through multiple championships will also be a key priority.

“The next step is putting it all in motion — getting everyone in line, on the bus and driving the bus in the direction we want to go,” Erik said. “This is the real mission.”

Tomorrow’s session for the High Performance riders will address “the pathway” and “how we get riders from bottom to top.”

Keep it locked on EN for everything you need to know from New Orleans. Go Eventing.

#USEAConvention: Website, Schedule, Live Stream, EN’s Coverage, EN’s Twitter, EN’s Instagram

Friday Video from World Equestrian Brands: Rudolph the Red-Nosed Racehorse

By on Dec 7, 2018 4:30 pm -

 

Folks, it’s happened. Somewhere along the way, amongst sidelong glares at fellow riders complaining about heatwaves, and hissed utterances worthy of the Stark family, winter jolly well came.

If you’re anything like most equestrians right now — Floridians, look away, for this is not for you — you’re reading this from somewhere within a pile of slightly musty turnout rugs, hiding from the savage glare of a fresh and understimulated nag. I applaud you, winter rider, and I applaud your 4G for being able to penetrate several layers of 400g fill and stubborn mud. While your office compatriots are dithering over which besequinned dress to order for their upcoming slew of Christmas parties, you, my friend, are wondering whether the black gunge under your fingernails — a remnant of some particularly determined mud fever picking — will be subdued by a last-minute swipe of sparkly nail polish. Never fear — the purple patches on your extremities, left behind when your circulatory system went into hibernation two weeks ago, will be far more noticeable.

He sees you when you’re kicking. He knows when you miss strides. Photo courtesy of Kate Tarrant Eventing.

But winter isn’t all bad. After all, December does bring with it a smattering of holiday festivities, which, if nothing else, are a marvellous excuse to drink hot alcoholic beverages during daylight hours. And I mean, yeah, you need to clip your horse, but isn’t it satisfying shoving your hands under his rug and burying your fingers in his fluff until you do? Yes. Yes, it bloody well is.

Regardless of how you celebrate the holiday season, one thing is absolutely certain: eventers do festivities a little bit differently. Okay, there’s the stocking for your horse, for which I offer absolutely no judgment, and yeah, there’s the Santa hat you may or may not have jammed atop your skull cap, but there’s also the spirit of ferocious competitiveness that we can never quite leave at the door. Even if that means making your six-year-old niece cry during a particularly hard-fought game of Heads Up. So in the grand spirit of the thing — and in the interest of adding even more madness to what is, perhaps, the most delightfully insane month of the year — I bring you Christmas cheer, equestrian style.

You’ve heard of Rudolph the red-nosed reindeer — prepare yourself for Rudolph the high-speed (?) noble steed (???).

Giddy up!

Go Eventing.

Event Horse Names: New Orleans Edition

By on Dec 7, 2018 2:30 pm -

Names of event horses in the USEA horse database. Word cloud by Leslie Wylie.

New Orleans, site of the 2018 USEA Annual Meeting & Convention, is one of the most singularly unique cities in the world. The music, the cuisine, the history, the nightlife, the southern goth vibes … you can’t walk down the French Quarter without getting a little tingle up on your spine.

Not surprisingly, Louisiana culture has inspired a ton of event horse names. There are a whopping 20 horses with the registered name Mardi Gras, and there are dozens of variations on the word Cajun — see the word cloud above.

Admittedly, this word cloud puts a little rumble in my belly … convention-goers, if you have a chance to escape the compound, have a meal at French Quarter hole-in-the-wall Coop’s Place. Best jambalaya in New Orleans, IMO. Follow that up with a beer at Laffite’s Blacksmith Shop on Bourbon Street. Built in 1761 and formerly pirate-owned, it’s dark, allegedly haunted and the perfect antithesis to brightly lit conference rooms. And don’t forget to have get your fortune read while you’re in town! Get a sneak preview of how that 2019 season is going to go.

Shannon Brinkman, one of New Orleans’ most magical native creatures, snapped this photo of Chinch partying down at New Orleans a couple years ago.

Louisiana has an active equestrian culture. The area is served by the Southern Eventing & Dressage Association, which hosts a number of shows and activities each year, and belongs to USEA’s Area V. Two USEA recognized events will be held in the state in 2019: Holly Hill Spring H.T. in Benton (April 19-20) and Fleur de Leap H.T. in Folsom (Oct. 12-13).

There’s quite a lot of horse racing in the state, and we’ve seen some great ones transition off track into successful eventing careers. At this year’s Thoroughbred Makeover at the Kentucky Horse Park in October, the Louisiana Thoroughbred Breeders Association sponsored a new $2,500 award for the top placing Louisiana-bred OTTB. Retired jockey and Retired Racehorse Project board member Rosie Napravnik is based in New Orleans and markets retiring Thoroughbreds for second careers.

Aside from Louisiana themed horse names, you can find little hints of the area throughout U.S. eventing. Like this water complex at Rebecca Farms, a nod to the late Rebecca and Jerome Broussard’s home in the deep south before they relocated to Montana in the mid-’80s. Included is an assortment of bayou creatures ranging from benign (crawfish, beavers) to deadly (water moccasins and alligators).

Photo by Leslie Wylie.

Alright, so this edition of “Event Horse Names” may have been just a jumping-off point for waxing poetic about one of my favorite corners of the earth. If you’re at the Convention, enjoy! If not, keep it locked here for all the latest — and here’s a recipe for authentic New Orleans beignets as a consolation prize.

#USEAConvention: Website, Schedule, Live Stream, EN’s Coverage, EN’s Twitter, EN’s Instagram

In case you missed them, check out these previous editions of Event Horse Names: Authors, Books & Characters, Battle of the Booze, The Empire Business, Monster Trucks, Celebrities, Snow, Valentine’s Day, St. Paddy’s Day, Fourth of July, Christmas, Pumpkin Spice All the Thingz, and What’s For Breakfast?

Previewing New Zealand’s Puhinui International CCI3*

By on Dec 7, 2018 8:30 am -

Fence #13. Photo courtesy of Cross Country App.

It may be winter here in the States, but it’s high spring in New Zealand and peak event season is ON. Puhinui International Horse Trials in Auckland is a big fixture on the calendar, headlined by a CCI3* class that will be contested by 11 horse/rider combinations.

Australian designer Ewan Kellett, known for his work at Melbourne International Three-Day Event as well as in Great Britain and Asia, was called in to design the CCI3* and 2* cross country courses for the Puhinui just nine weeks ago. Despite the tight timeline and a lot of rain he has introduced some exciting changes.

Ewan knew the event by reputation but hadn’t seen the course himself. In an interview for Cross Country App with rider Christen Hayde on Tuesday, he explained, “To come here really nothing about the venue was quite challenging, and knowing that within nine weeks I had to pull together a CCI2* and 3* was daunting. Thankfully by the same token I was fairly confident we could get it done.”

Most years the ground at Puhinui tends toward being hard, but several downpours of late have left the course on the soft, puddly side. “Hopefully the sunshine and the wind will do their job through the rest of the week and we don’t get to much more rain,” Ewan said, and the outlook seems favorable, with forecasts showing just a 10% chance of rain on Saturday.

Ewan sums up the course: “It’s consistent from the star to the finish. They’ve got to maintain the horse’s confidence, get them to jump and turn, jump and stay straight — it’s a good three-star test.”

Puhinui kicked off with the first horse inspection on Thursday afternoon followed by dressage on Friday. For live coverage we recommend keeping an eye on An Eventful Life, which will be reporting on all the latest.

Here’s a CCI3* course preview with video commentary from Ewan at key combinations, courtesy of CrossCountry App.

We wish to thank CrossCountry App for all their hard work in sharing courses from around the world throughout 2018. If you’re looking for a neat, useful gift for the eventing enthusiast in your life, consider a CrossCountry App gift voucher! It’s easy to gift the app via email — here’s how.

Puhinui International Horse Trials: Website, Schedule, Ride Times, Scores

Friday News & Notes from SmartPak

By on Dec 7, 2018 12:03 am -

I have always been a top fashionista.

You’re 100% welcome for this little gem of a throwback to me as a kid, posing in my backyard with one of my horses. This horse belonged to a family friend and came to retire to our farm, but still hacked out a bit. His name was Riemenschneider, or Remo for short, which was a name given to him by his highly intellectual owner. This horse let me climb up his legs and wrangle myself onto him bareback in the field, and then when I felt like he was walking too fast, I would pretend to fall off by leaning off the side, and he would halt. What a literal magical unicorn.

National Holiday: Faux Fur Friday

News From Around the Globe:

We are deeply saddened to report the sudden passing of Kyra King Stuart. A longtime supporter of the sport of Eventing, Kyra founded the Stuart Horse Trials in 1990 and served as organizer from that point until 2005. She was elected President of the USEA in 2005 and served for two years. During her time as president she worked hard to save the classic long format, grew the USEA American Eventing Championships and Adequan USEA Gold Cup Series, fostered the USEA Young Event Horse Series, and helped develop the USEA Future Event Horse Series. [Kyra King Stuart: 1939-2018]

The FEI is working hard to ensure increased fairness in dressage judging for the future. In consideration of the increased cognitive demands on judges, studies were conducted on all the factors that can negatively influence perceptual cognitive consistency. Given that judging will always include human subjectivity, rules and regulations that improve judging capacity can always be improved upon, and these studies are integral to the future of dressage. [FEI Takes Steps to Make Dressage Judging More Fair]

Looking for an adorable Christmas themed pony book that everyone in the family can enjoy? Look no further than Fergus and The Night Before Christmas, which can be rightfully described as enjoyable for ages 5-95. Good thing for you, we have the top team at Horse Nation giving a proper book review. [Fergus & The Night Before Christmas]

Be still, my heart: 

USEA Convention 2018: Dip in Annual Starters Attributed to Weather Woes

By on Dec 6, 2018 7:43 pm -

The first meeting of the Board of Governors took place this afternoon at the USEA Annual Meeting & Convention. Photo by Jenni Autry.

The 2018 USEA Annual Meeting & Convention officially kicked off today at the Sheraton New Orleans in Louisiana, with the first of the weekend’s Board of Governors meetings punctuating the day’s action.

USEA President Carol Kozlowski noted that 2018 was a year of transition and change in many regards. Perhaps most notably, severe weather across the country impacted the season throughout the year, with numerous competitions being abandoned completely or partially due to rain.

A total of 39,579 starters competed at 221 USEA events in the 2018 season, which is a decrease of 3,272 starters or 7.6% from last year. USEA Treasurer Morley Thompson noted in his address to the board that the vast majority of the reduction in starters took place at the USEA National levels, with the FEI levels largely unaffected.

In analyzing the decrease in starters in correlation to competitions that were heavily impacted by rain, the USEA estimates that as much as 40% of the reduction could be attributed to severe weather. In cases where events were not abandoned, the USEA estimates that 5-10% of starters still chose not to compete due to “sloppy” conditions.

The subsequent loss of starter fees resulted in nearly $69,000 in revenue loss for the USEA.

“Unless you start down centerline (in dressage), the USEA does not consider it a start, so the starter fee is lost,” USEA CEO Rob Burk explained.

Morley said that the USEA trended behind budget all through the year and predicted a year-end loss, which ultimately came to a $100,000 loss.

“My hope is we will see a rebound next year,” Morley added.

Simulating Rotational Falls

The University of Kentucky has studied rotational falls for more than a decade in partnership with the USEA, with the latest renewal of the study focusing on understanding when and how rotational falls occur through the use of computer simulations.

Dr. Suzanne Smith, a mechanical engineering professor at the University of Kentucky, and Shannon Wood, a UK mechanical engineering Master’s student, presented today on the simulation model developed by the university. The end goal, Suzanne explained, is to develop design criteria for safety fences for course designers, builders and frangible device developers.

The latest FEI Risk Management Program Statistics Report recorded that 721,385 fences are jumped each year on FEI cross country courses. A total of 279,897 jumps (38.7%) make contact with the horse via a hoof strike, foreleg or rear leg.

The vast majority of jump contacts occur with the rear leg, while 10,943 (3.9%) occur with the front leg. Of those, 165 (1.5%) of contacts occur with the horse’s forearm, with 36 rotational falls occurring from those forearm contacts.

The University of Kentucky’s computer simulation focuses solely on forearm contacts, essentially “only looking at the situations where (horse and rider) are in trouble,” Suzanne explained.

Rotational falls have been reduced by more than half from 2002 to 2015, and “the results from the simulation leads us to think we can reduce that by more than half again,” she added.

Stephen Daub of SAP Equestrian Analytics shared two data sets used from helmet cams at the Event Rider Masters series with the University of Kentucky, which will also be used to further the work of the simulation. “The more technology that is available and used will provide us with more information,” Suzanne said.

With the computer simulation now successfully developed, the University of Kentucky will continue their research into 2019, adding that this work would not be possible without the generous support of donors like Ms. Jacqueline Mars.

Sarah Broussard, chair of the USEA Safety and Equine Welfare Committee, added “we are always looking for new things to make the sport safer.”

Enthusiasm for Intercollegiate Eventing Just Keeps Growing

Leslie Threlkeld, Intercollegiate Committee Chair, and Claire Kelley, USEA Intercollegiate staff liaison, gave an update on the status of the rapidly growing USEA Intercollegiate Eventing Program this afternoon.

There are currently 334 collegiate USEA membership, which is more than 100 over last year. Additionally, there are 30 USEA affiliated colleges and universities. The Intercollegiate Championship at Virginia Horse Trials saw record numbers this year, with nearly 90 students from 18 schools competing. The Championship has grown every year and we’re expecting another spike in entries at the 2019 Championship, which will take place at Chattahoochee Hills in Fairburn, Ga. in May.

In 2018, the Intercollegiate Committee completed two major projects. One was an outreach project that provided details about the intercollegiate program and how to get involved to more than 660 schools with potential interest in the program. The other was developing and publishing the Intercollegiate Handbook, which includes Championship eligibility requirements, guides for students to form teams and for organizers to host team challenges, and more. The Handbook is available on the USEA website at this link.

In 2019, the Committee will focus their outreach efforts on a more “local” level by communicating and support event organizers, Young Rider Coordinators, ICP instructors and area trainers in order to spread the word and grow the program. They will also be exploring the prospects of grants or scholarships for students.

Jackie LeMastus, a University of Kentucky student and member of their eventing team, was in attendance at the open forum and shared her experience of competing at the Intercollegiate Championship and how being a member of the team has enriched her college years.

Looking Ahead to Friday

Remember you can watch a bulk of the meetings, awards and seminars on the USEA Convention live stream. Click here for all the details on how to watch live.

The USEA Convention kicks into high gear tomorrow, with the USEA Year-End Awards Ceremony taking place during lunch. Erik Duvander, USEF Performance Director for Eventing, will lead the USEF High Performance Athletes Open Forum just prior to the lunch break.

The Event Riders Association of North America Year-End Awards and Event Owners Task Force Reception will also take place on Friday evening.

In the meantime, the EN crew is off to the USEA Board of Governors Reception. Keep it locked on EN for everything you need to know from New Orleans. Go Eventing.

#USEAConvention: Website, Schedule, Live Stream, EN’s Coverage, EN’s Twitter, EN’s Instagram